Flying toy



G. A. GILLEN- FLYING T 0Y. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 6| I922 1,419,041. PatentedJune 6,1922..

aemzy A. Gide/z Y 1 WWW rarest" eerie GEORGE A. G-ILLEN, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 GILLEN LABORA- TORIES CORPORATION. I

FLYING TOY.

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Specification of Letters ratent. Patented J line 6, 1922.

Application filed. February 6, 1922. Serial No. 534,370.

T 0 all w 7mm it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE A. GILLEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Flying Toys, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in flying toys and has for its principal object to provide a toy of the helicopter type, which after its flight will descend gently so as to avoid injury.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a toy, the body of which is divided into two separate channels, one of which is adapted to contain the motive power, while the other contains an automatically released parachute.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide a door in the body of the toy through which the parachute is projected when the initial power of the device is spent, and when it starts its return ourney to the earth.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a device which is so'constructed that after completing its flight its position will be reversed so that the propeller plates will at all times remain in forward end of the body of the toy, and, thereby operating a gravity latch to release the parachute door and permit the parachute to be brought into play.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a toy the propeller of which. is provided with a balance wheel, which while imparting, a prolonged rotary motion will, not act as a gyroscope in maintainingits plane.

lViththese and other objects in view the invention consists of thenovcl construction, combination and arrangement of parts which will be fully set forth in the following specification, claimed and illustrated in the ac companying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is a side view of this improved toy, portions thereof being broken away to more clearly illustrate the details of construction.

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the body of the toy, and,

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the propeller and its balance wheel associated therewith.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the numeral 10 designates in its entirety the toy which comprises a hollow frusto-conical shell, 11, and mounted in its'reduced end a bearing, 12, which forms the enclosure for the body and the support for the propeller shaft. A plate, 13, is secured at a point inter mediate the ends of the body, 11, and is provided with central depression, let, whichprd vides a seat or thrust bearing for the inner end of the propeller shaft. Formed at the lower end of the shell or body, 11, is a hinge barrel, 15, to which the door, 16, is pivotally connected as illustrated in Figures 1 and'3.

Mounted in the bearing, 12, with its inner end seated in the depression, 1 1, is the propeller shaft, 17, which projects through the bearing, 12, and is provided at its outer end with a head, 18. A rectangular extension, 19, isformed on the head and is provided with a to the interior of the chamber so that it may be freely wound upon the hub member, 22.

The propeller hereinbefore referred to is designated generically by the numeral, 25, and comprises a relatively heavy balance wheel, 26, which is provided with a central rectangular opening, 27, for the reception of the rectangular extension, 19, of the head, 18, formed in the edge of the wheel, 26, and threaded openings, 27, for the reception of the threaded stems, 28, of the propeller plates, 29. These plates may be of any suitable contour which will give the desired elevating power to the device and it will be seen that after the flexible member, 23, has been wound on the hub, 22, pull may be exerted and on causing it to unwind and roitate the hub, thereby imparting rotary motion to the shaft and to the propeller, thus permitting a helicopter action which will tend to lift the device.

Secured to the side of the plate, 13, opposite that provided with the recess, 14, is a compression coil spring, 30, to the opposite end of which is secured a plate, 31,

provided with a centrally arranged eye, 32, to which the cords of the parachute, 33, are attached. It will thus be seen that when the parachute is in its chamber and the door, 16, closes, the spring, 30, will be compressed so that when the door, 16, isreleased and swings to open position, the para-. chute will be projected outwardly in such a position as to enable it to open.

In order to hold the door closed during the upward flight of the device-there is pivotally mounted on the shell at apoint diametrically opposite the hinge, a latch, 34, which is connected'to a weighted rod, 35, slid-ably mounted in abracket, 36, on the side of the shell, 11. It will thus be seen that the weighted rod, 35, will nominally hold the latch in closed position, but as soon as the position of the toy reverses the weight will move in such adirection as to cause the latch to be released,thereby allowing the door to swing open under the influence of the spring, 30, so. as to permit the parachute to be projected intooperativeposition.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of this invention, it is to be understood that certain minor changes, in the details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

I claiml I 1. A toy, comprising a housing, a-propeller at one end, of the housing and a normally inactive parachute at the opposite end of the housing, said parachute being automatically released upon the invertingof the device. a

2. A toy comprising, a housing, a propeller at one end of the housing, a parachute normally contained in the opposite end of the housing and means to automatically release the parachute when the lifting force of the propeller has been spent.

3. A toy comprising a housing, a propeller at one end of the housing, a para-- chute contained within the opposite end of the housing, a door inclosing the parachute, and a gravity released means normally holding the door in closed position.

4:. A toy comprising a housing, a manually actuated. propeller at one end of the housing, a hinged door at the opposite end of the housing, a parachute within said housing and held therein by the door, and

a gravity actuated latch for holding the door closed during the upward flight of the of the housing, a parachute normally retained within the housing by the door, means tourge the parachute outwardly when the door is opened, and agravity latch for holding the doorclosed during the upward flight.

6. A toy comprising, an elevating propeller, and a parachute associated therewith, said parachute being held inactive during the upward flight of the device and being forced into active position upon the inverting of the device.

7. A toy comprising, a manually actuated elevating propeller, aparachute associated therewith and held inactive during the upward flight of the device, and means for releasing the parachute when the elevating force of the propeller has been spent and the device reverses its position upon starting its downwardfiight. i

8. A toy comprising, a manually actuated elevating propeller, a parachute associated therewith, said parachute being held inactive during the upward flight of the device, and gravity actuated means for automatically releasing the paraohute'when the force of the propeller has been spent.

9. A toy comprising a hollow casing having a parachute chamber therein, an elevating propeller associated with the casing, means for manually rotating the propeller, a door closing the parachute chamber, a parachute normally housed within the chamher, and means for ejecting the parachute after the force of the propellerhas been spent.

10. A toy comprising, a hollow frustoconical casing, a manually actuated propeller at the reduced end of the casing, the opposite end of the casing forming a parachute chamber, a door hinged to the enlarged end of the casing for closing the parachute chamber, a parachute normally retained within the chamber by the door, spring means for ejecting the parachute when the door is released, and a gravity actuated latch for normally holding the door closed.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New' Yorkfthis 31st day of January, 1922.

' GEORGE A. GILLEN. 

